Memories
by CleopatraVII
Summary: Grimmjow has been captured by Ichigo. Before Ichigo can kill him, Orihime rushes in, begging Ichigo to spare Grimmjow's life. With the help of Urahara, Grimmjow's memories will be projected for them to examine. Grimm/Orihime. R&R please
1. Memories

**A/N: Not mine. Just sort of a random storyline, so it doesn't really hold any spoilers.**

Memories

Ichigo glared at down at the bound man before him. Teal eyes that matched shocking hair glowered back at him, rage and hatred almost crackling as the eyes fixed on Ichigo's own.

"Do it already."

Ichigo laughed coldly. "I _really_ don't think you have any right to be making any orders, Grimmjow." He gestured to the nearly empty room they were in. "You aren't in Heuco Mundo anymore."

Urahara, who had been silently in a corner, considered the situation. Ichigo was clearly beside himself with rage… and guilt. Rukia's death at the hands of Aizen obviously weighed heavily on his mind. _I wonder if he really plans to kill him; this attitude is so unlike him._

With a sudden movement, Grimmjow spat bitterly at Ichigo's feet. "Stop being such a pushover already! Just do it, ya bastard!"

"I WILL!" Ichigo screamed back, and raised his massive sword. Urahara was shocked to see tears standing out brightly in the teen's eyes.

The door to this basement room in Urahara's shop slammed open, and Orihime flew in, orange hair trailing behind her. "Noo!" she cried out, and threw herself between Ichigo and Grimmjow.

She wrapped her arms around Grimmjow, tears spilling freely over her cheeks. "No… no… please, Kurosaki-kun, no…"

Ichigo and Urahara stared numbly at her as she buried her face into Grimmjow's chest, still sobbing. Grimmjow looked shocked, but his gaze soon steeled. "Don't do this in front of her… please." he said quietly, his eyes once again meeting Ichigo's. He turned his attention to the weeping woman holding him. "Inoue, please, you shouldn't watch this. Please… go."

"No, no, no… I can't let them do this to you… no!"

"Wh… what's going on?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Ichigo roared at Grimmjow, raising his sword menacingly.

"NO!" Inoue screamed, clutching the Sexta Espada tighter.

"Just take her out of here before you kill me." Grimmjow repeated steadily.

Urahara rushed forward, and pried the weeping girl from Grimmjow. He proceeded to drag her out as she tried to wrestle out of his grip.

The door shut firmly behind them, and Ichigo turned to Grimmjow.

"What did you do to her?!"

"Just kill me already!"

Glaring, Ichigo lowered his sword. "Why should she care if you live or die?"

Grimmjow merely stared back at him, his eyes clouded, revealing nothing.

"If he won't tell us," Urahara's lilting voice said, startling them both, "I may have a way to get him to reveal his secrets anyways." He had slipped inside silently, and now stood looking down at the blue-haired man. "'Course, it's highly experimental."

"Do it." Ichigo hissed, still studying Grimmjow's decidedly blank expression.

"Okay. I call it…" Urahara paused, visibly swelling with pride as he pulled a small, yellow pill from his pocket, "…the Memory Mixer. All we have to do is make sure he swallows it, and his memories will be projected to us."

**A/N: Please review! Next chapter will be longer, I promise.**


	2. Assignment

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. Once again, these guys aren't mine (unfortunately).**

Memories  
Chapter 2: Assignment

Ichigo and Grimmjow stared at the small, entirely unimpressive pill that Urahara was beaming at. "Uh…" Ichigo said, searching for words, "…thanks?"

Grimmjow snorted derisively, careful to keep his mouth shut.

"Now, all we have to do is figure out how to make him swallow it…" Urahara muttered, studying the bound Espada before him.

Now Ichigo snorted. Without any indication of his intentions, he suddenly rammed the tip of his sword into the clenched muscle of Grimmjow's bicep. The blade sank in deeply, slicing through the tough muscle as if it were butter.

"AAAAH YOU FU--" the blue haired man began to scream, but was cut off when Urahara abruptly jammed the pill into his now-open mouth. Urahara stuck out his index finger, and was able to quickly slide the yellow pill far down Grimmjow's unsuspecting throat.

Sputtering, Grimmjow attempted to spit out the pill, but Urahara's deft hands had gotten the pill too deep to simply spit out. All he could do was wretch pointlessly as an odd feeling overtook him.

It felt as if his brain was melting. Everything was suddenly too sharp or too bright. The substitute Shinigami's orange hair was almost painful to look at; Grimmjow felt as if the image of the orange locks was being burned directly into his retinas.

"What do we do now?" Ichigo asked uncertainly, noticing how Grimmjow's pupils had suddenly dilated until his teal eyes were just black with a thin teal halo.

"Now," Urahara replied grandiosely, "we simply ask him what we want to know." He leaned into Grimmjow's face, and snapped, "Grimmjow!"

The Sexta Espada's eyes drifted to the hatted man, but he seemed incapable of speaking. His mouth worked silently, but Grimmjow was otherwise unresponsive.

"We want to see when, and how, this… relationship… with Inoue began. We want to see everything."

Grimmjow struggled against his bonds, blood dripping slowly down his arm where it had been pierced. "No.. no.." he managed to grunt, but it was to no avail. He could already feel the memories slipping from his mind, becoming fresh as though he was living them again.

All around the three men, the room melted and shifted. The dripping, fuzzy quality to the previously bland room made Ichigo feel dizzy. Closing his chocolate eyes, he counted to twenty before opening them again.

He gasped, gripping his sword instinctively.

Ichigo and Urahara were standing in the dazzlingly white main hall of Hueco Mundo. Seated before them, a stray lock of brown hair gracing his brow, was Aizen. Silently standing at his side was Ulquiorra, jade tear streaks and eyes the only part of him that held any color.

Looking around, Ichigo realized they must be actually inside of one of Grimmjow's memories, as there was still a bloodied, bound Grimmjow seated beside him, though now he was slumped forward, breathing heavily. Grimmjow's eyes were staring fixedly ahead. He seemed unable to move under the force of the memory, nor to look away. Neither Aizen nor Ulquiorra seemed to have noticed the trio's sudden appearance, leaving Ichigo to assume that they were invisible to the people and events of the memory.

Both Ichigo and Urahara jumped as the doors to Aizen's hall banged open behind them.

In strode Grimmjow, hands jammed into his pockets, looking bored. He sauntered forward, passing soundlessly through the seated version of himself.

"You're late." Ulquiorra observed flatly, staring at the blue haired man.

"Oops," Grimmjow replied sarcastically, "so sorry." He sneered at his fellow Espada.

Aizen clapped his hands together. "Grimmjow, so good of you to join us." Grimmjow just watched him insolently, so Aizen continued, "Ulquiorra is going to be busy for an undetermined amount of time. He must venture to the 'real' world to run an errand for me. Any idea what kind of problem this may cause?"

"No one to braid Stark's hair?" Grimmjow ventured, smirking at the seemingly depressed Espada at Aizen's side.

"Not quite." the ex-shinigami replied amiably. "Ulquiorra's absence will leave our, ah… guest… untended."

"So?" the Sexta Espada asked, sounding impossibly bored. He studied his finger nails with disinterest.

"So. I am assigning _you_ to Ulquiorra's previous post. You will watch her." Aizen smiled, as if he was expecting Grimmjow to be pleased with such a reasonable offer.

"Tch," snorted the blue haired man, "no thanks. I don't do babysitting." With a swish of his pants, he began to leave. "Why don't you ask Nnoitra?" he suggested casually, calling back over his shoulder. "He's had his eye on her ever since she arrived… I'm sure he would be more than happy to 'watch' her."

Ichigo's hand tightened around his sword, and a muscle twitched in his cheek. He glared down at the immobile Grimmjow who was seated beside him, struggling the urge to strike him. "When this is through," he hissed menacingly, "I will beat the living shit out of you."

Bound-Grimmjow apparently took no notice of this threat. The memory continued to hold him tightly within its grasp.

"Grimmjow," Aizen called softly, his voice suddenly cold, "I expect a little more compliance out of you."

Intense reiatsu suddenly flooded the room, bringing the unbound Grimmjow to his knees. Though it was just a memory, Ichigo could almost feel it himself, causing the hair on his arms and the back of his neck to prickle unpleasantly.

Grimmjow gasped for breath, struggling not to fully collapse to the floor.

"Now that I have your complete attention, allow me to repeat myself: you WILL watch over Inoue Orihime. Anything that happens to her will be on your head… and taken out of your skin. Consider her your lifeline, and everything should work out just fine." Aizen's voice was hard, reminding Ichigo forcibly of a teacher speaking down to a rather dense student. "If I have any reason to suspect that she is uncomfortable, _you_ will be made uncomfortable. Am I being clear enough for you?"

The reiatsu suddenly vanished, and Grimmjow struggled to his feet. "Yes… Aizen-sama." he forced out, the former swagger gone from his voice and actions.

"Are you sure? I could always repeat myself again." The threat was clear in his voice. _Make me repeat myself again_, that voice implied, _and I will feed you to the hounds of hell._

"N-no, Aizen-sama." Grimmjow was still gasping slightly, looking pale and unsteady on his feet.

"Good. You may go and inform her of the change of guard." With a wave of his hand, the leader of the Espada casually dismissed Grimmjow.

The blue haired Espada turned and continued out of the room, staggering slightly.

Once again, the walls began to drip as the memory shifted. Ichigo closed his eyes again, once more counting to twenty.

They found themselves in a white hallway, staring at an imposing black door. Memory-Grimmjow strode forward, apparently having regained his confidence during the walk to Orihime's quarters. He placed his hand on the apparently blank wall beside the door, causing the door to slide open.

Seated inside, looking pale and scared, was Inoue. Her eyes widened when she saw Grimmjow standing in the doorway. "Wh-what do you want? Where… where is Ulquiorra?" she asked breathlessly, eyes darting to the hallway behind him, as if hoping to see Ulquiorra striding up.

Grimmjow grinned wickedly, baring his teeth at her. "He won't be back for some time. You see… I'm your new guardian."

**A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? …Reviews?**


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